The Ale House - Is it even a thing now?

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I used to love proper pubs when I had time, before kids and all that marriage malarkey. Favourites were The Old Bank in Waterloo, The Jawbone in Bootle ( used to have music in there), The Midland, The Central and The Philharmonic in Liverpool. Used to frequent a few pubs in Formby where I lived, but preferred those above. Hardly any drinking pubs left, they're mainly low quality restaurants that serve drinks these days.
 
My local is still generally busy - Even without serving food

The problem is more people would rather buy a flat white than a nice pint

The whole 'You can buy a crate of lager in Tesco for a tenner so why go to the pub' argument doesn't really work to me

You can buy a jar of Nescafe for £3 and enjoy 50 cups of coffee - or buy 1 in a plastic pot from a soulless cafe
 

hallamblue said:
I used to love proper pubs when I had time, before kids and all that marriage malarkey. Favourites were The Old Bank in Waterloo, The Jawbone in Bootle ( used to have music in there), The Midland, The Central and The Philharmonic in Liverpool. Used to frequent a few pubs in Formby where I lived, but preferred those above. Hardly any drinking pubs left, they're mainly low quality restaurants that serve drinks these days.
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So sad. ?
 
coollino said:
Loads near me, fair few decent ones within that too
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Same here.

One of the key factors for both me and my missus choosing to live where we live, was the proximity of several decent boozers, one of which had been my local for the best part of a decade.

I would never live anywhere that didn`t have a decent boozer within walking distance and it`s also a key factor, when we decide where we`re going to stay on holiday in the UK too.

Once my eldest lad is old enough, he`ll be straight down to my local with me, introduced to everyone, get the piss ripped out of him and welcomed into the fold lol

A pub can survive without food or footy, but the ale has got to be varied and constantly top notch and it also needs to be welcoming towards women too, otherwise it won`t survive.
 
navidson said:
My local is still generally busy - Even without serving food

The problem is more people would rather buy a flat white than a nice pint

The whole 'You can buy a crate of lager in Tesco for a tenner so why go to the pub' argument doesn't really work to me

You can buy a jar of Nescafe for £3 and enjoy 50 cups of coffee - or buy 1 in a plastic pot from a soulless cafe
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Sitting at home on your tod with a case of cheap ale, is just desperate.
 
kev said:
I have been what I would call an 'ale house drinker' for the last 50 years.
Unfortunately 'ale houses' it seems are now very much a thing of the past - Discuss.
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They're getting less common. Enormous taxes and land rents by (overseas consortium investor) owners mean most good pubs have had to become (shudders) gastro pubs just to survive. To expand their market many try to attract women they become gin parlours or prosecco bars with swanky makeovers. Customers start having to queue while Mandy orders 4 different coffees for her 4 different mates who all queue to pay individually. Prices go through the roof - blokes seeing the queues stop going in for a quiet ale. The ale sells more slowly, doesn't keep, gets replaced by some cheap yet still overpriced pasteurised crap.

In my small Wiltshire Town there was a cracking pub- on site brewed ale, lucky to find standing space any time after 4pm each day. Beer was £2.80 a pint (2014) rising to £3.10 (2018). Loads of events regularly put on and charity raffles for local causes. Then it was bought by St Austell brewery who gave permission for the on site brewing to continue. Currently at £4.20 a pint for the same beer. I just hardly ever go anymore to get fleeced like that. Neither do others. All the charity events have wound up. Can get a seat practically any time of day.

I genuinely wonder which model collected most revenue. I know which did more for the local community. I suspect owner greed is part of the problem as well as unfair tax and desperation.
 
OneTrueLegend said:
So does that mean a pub without TV’s for watching the football and without a food menu?

Think those pubs are dying off. These days pubs have to do food and football to keep going. The traditional old man boozer can’t keep going now, the smoking ban got rid of a load. At one point there were 5 pubs a week closing down. Now as their elderly clientele shuffle off there are not the younger ones coming through to replace them. Peoples tastes have changed, not many people I know go for a drink everyday after work at their local anymore. But it used to be the norm for an older generation.
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This.
It started slowly 50(?) yrs ago
Urban redevelopment, slum clearance call it what you will
Inflation, pubs costs staff wages.
Super markets selling it cheap in bulk
Smoking ban
Greedy breweries(?)
Covid.

I was last back in 2014, In the end mrs degsy had to tell me off for going on and on...jeez, that pubs shut...didnt there used to be a pub there, etc, etc.
 


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